S. Korean nuclear reactor shuts downSeoul (AFP) July 05, 2013 -
A South Korean nuclear reactor shut down Friday after a technical malfunction, operators said, at a time when the government is already warning of serious power shortages because multiple reactors are offline.

The state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) said an investigation was underway to confirm the precise cause but added there was no immediate safety threat.

The incident occurred at the Hanwool Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County on South Korea's eastern coast.

At proper capacity, South Korea's nuclear reactors supply more than 35 percent of the country's electricity needs.

But nine of 23 reactors are currently offline for multiple reasons, including a scandal involving parts provided with fake safety certificates.

State prosecutors have launched an extensive probe into the fraud which forced the shutdown of two reactors in May and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two more.

Last year, officials said eight suppliers were found to have faked warranties covering thousands of items used in a number of reactors.

South Korea's nuclear sector has been dogged by a series of malfunctions, forced shutdowns and corruption scandals that have undermined public confidence already shaken by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Despite increasing public concern, the government has vowed to push ahead with its nuclear power programme and plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.

The boss of Fukushima operator TEPCO on Friday met local leaders to ask for their blessing to restart the world's biggest nuclear plant after a public tongue-lashing for bypassing them this week.

Tokyo Electric Power Co said Tuesday they would ask Japan's nuclear watchdog for the green light to re-fire two of the seven units at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa in northern Niigata prefecture.

The entire power station has been shuttered since around 12 months after the tsunami-sparked meltdowns at Fukushima in March 2011.

While the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) determines if a plant meets safety requirements, the decision to allow reactors to come back online rests with politicians.

On Friday TEPCO president Naomi Hirose received a dressing down for not having first consulted the plant's host community.

"We are very disappointed that you announced you will ask the Nuclear Regulation Agency for permission (to restart nuclear reactors) without any explanation to us," Kashiwazaki mayor Hiroshi Aida told Hirose.

"Such a move can ruin the mutual trust we have been building," the mayor said.

In a meeting that was carried on national television news programmes, Hirose was seen bowing deeply and offering his contrition.

"We sincerely apologise for your having had cause to criticise us for making hasty and sloppy decisions without giving considerations to local opinions," Hirose said.

Hirose also met the mayor of Kariwa, the other municipality where part of the power station is located, and will meet Niigata's governor later in the day.

TEPCO and local governments have signed a deal under which the utility must get local leaders' permission before re-opening the plant.

Although the agreement is not legally binding, TEPCO has admitted it will be difficult to restart reactors if local people are opposed. Public wariness of the once-trusted technology has made nuclear power a politically toxic issue.

All but two of Japan's 50 atomic reactors are offline, shut down for safety checks after the Fukushima disaster, the worst the world has seen since Chernobyl.

Following criticism that the nuclear industry was in bed with its regulators in the lead-up to Fukushima, the government established a new industry watchdog, whose beefed up safety standards come into force on Monday.

The NRA's chairman on Thursday said the new rules would give Japan one of the best nuclear safety regimes in the world, although he acknowledged it would take time for the safety culture to grow.

Reactors at Fukushima went into meltdown when their cooling systems were swamped by the huge tsunami of March 2011.

Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes by the threat of radiation, with some still unable to return.

Although the nuclear accident is not officially recorded as having directly killed anyone, the natural disaster claimed more than 18,000 lives and was one of Japan's worst ever peacetime tragedies.

Westinghouse Completes First SMR Fuel Assemblies And Will Begin TestingPittsburgh PA (SPX) Jul 04, 2013
Westinghouse Electric Company has completed the manufacturing and assembly of two nuclear fuel test assemblies for the Westinghouse Small Modular Reactor (SMR) at its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Columbia, South Carolina.
Final preparations are now being performed on the two fuel assemblies before hydraulic testing begins, where SMR reactor operation will be simulated to confirm a ... read more

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